Tuesday, May 8, 2012

You may have noticed the new graphic at the top. A little background...
Along the way in Italy, I had the privilege of meeting lots of people and hearing literally hundreds of stories. One of the people that most challenged my outlook on life was a guy by the name of Francesco. Journalist. Writer. Musician. Student. World Traveler. Politician. Entrepeneur. Photographer. In a word: artist.

He is a people magnet. People from all kinds of nationalities and backgrounds seemed to find him and he genuinely seemed fascinated with all of them. We definitely don't see eye to eye on everything. In fact, one of my most vivid memories with him was the time he brought an outspoken activist with him to our weekly dinner where I was interrogated on my view on creation. We had a group of US students participate in an 'art march' with some of his fellow artists, strategically placing pieces of art in various public places. One of my favorite times was simply sitting under the stars on an unknown and seemingly invisible set of stairs one night, sipping good, local wine and talking about the ideal American town of Springfield. Through it all, Francesco, probably without meaning to, stretched my definition of what art is and how it is tied in to who we are.

Shortly before we left Italy we had the great privilege of meeting Francesco's wife, Kat, also an artist and a beautiful person. As I've sat on this idea of the sunken church, this image was forming in my mind and I became obsessed with finding something to represent it. I searched and searched online. I took pictures of churches. I made a video on the pier in Ancona. I finally contacted Kat and asked if she would be willing and able to help me. And boy, did she.

I simply laid out the story for her and a simple description of what I had in mind. The image above is the result. Those of you who know Ancona might recognize the image's inspiration. I encourage you to visit her site at: www.katerinabonvora.com. She's got a great eye and is multi-talented. Thanks Francesco for stretching my boundaries and thanks Kat for helping bring my vision to life...

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The Sunken Church

This blog follows the life, ministry and adventures of the Casey family. We were missionaries in Ancona, Italy from 2000 until 2011. We are now adventuring in the US of A, experimenting with running a business, growing a garden, raising a family and challenging the Church to break outside the box and adopt new forms to reach a new generation with the truth of the Gospel.

di Ancona

About Me

Born in Santiago, Chile I have grown up on the move - lived in some 15 different homes. I am a 'word' person - enjoying almost anything to do with books and literature. I love exploring God's great world and helping people find their place in it.

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sunken

The story goes like this:

There once was a church down by the port in Ancona, Italy. With the passing of time, shaken by earthquakes and beaten by the winds, the foundations of the church crumbled and the church toppled into the sea. A friend of ours shared with us that she remembers, as a little girl, playing along the pier and seeing the remains of the church under the water. She remembers seeing the cross from the top of the church under the surface. She told us that some say that if the wind was strong enough and the waves choppy enough, you could even hear the bells...

The story leads to this question:

If we were to raise her out of the water, if we were to restore her completely to what she was originally intended to be...what would she look like? If we were to remove her from all the traditions that humankind has surrounded her with and drowned her in...who would she be?